Carbon Monoxide Detectors Are Your Best Protection Against the Deadly Gas

It can’t be seen, smelled or heard, but it can kill you. We’re talking about the deadly gas, carbon monoxide (CO), a poisonous gas produced when we burn fuels such as natural gas, charcoal, wood and propane.

When too much CO builds up in a space, it can make you ill or even kill you. About 170 Americans die each year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning and thousands more become ill, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Dangerous CO fumes can build up in a home when faulty or poorly installed appliances leak the gas into the house. Using generators in the house, unvented space heaters, or fumes from attached the garage can raise levels of the gas as well.

The number one way to protect your family against carbon monoxide poisoning is with carbon monoxide detectors. These detectors work like smoke detectors, setting off an alarm when they sense CO levels have risen beyond a safe threshold.

Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed near each sleeping area, on each level of the home, and near the doorway to an attached garage.

As with smoke detectors, check and change the batteries for your CO detectors during the switch to and from daylight saving time each spring and fall to ensure they remain in good working order to offer maximum protection for your family.

If the detectors sound, get out of the house immediately and call 911.

Other ways to protect your family include:

• Get your furnace and any other gas appliances inspected and maintained by qualified technicians every year
• Buy vented space heaters
• Open the flue when using the fireplace and have the chimney inspected and cleaned before the heating season
• Refrain from using a generator or any other device fueled by gas, charcoal or wood, such as a camp stove, in your home, basement or attached garage.

Keep your family safe by installing carbon monoxide detectors in your Central Florida home. For more information about home safety or to have your heating systems checked out, call the experts at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about carbon monoxide detectors and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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